Samuel Strider
Samuel Oliver Strider (commonly known as Sam), is a German-British wizard who attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from his fifth year. He was a member of Hufflepuff house, and graduated with the class of 2097. Since graduating from Hogwarts, Sam has resumed his travels with his father, investigating mysterious and unexplained magical phenomena around the world. He works as a waiter at The Cheese Cauldron when not travelling, and has started writing his first book: a non-fiction account of his adventures and discoveries. Sam also plans to write a book on his theories regarding the magical phenomena he has investigated. Personality and Key Characteristics Sam is a very curious individual, always wanting to know more about the things that interest him. He is particularly drawn to the unexplained; it is not necessarily a 'need to know' that drives him, more a desire to be the one to figure things out. Unexplained mysteries frustrate and delight him. He is also very adventurous, and has joined his father on expeditions around the world since he was nine years old. Sam doesn't like to be in one place for too long, as things start to feel stagnant; the only time he has been somewhere long enough for this to happen (at least since his need for adventure developed) is when he was at Hogwarts for three years. Sam is a self-confessed bookworm, and maintains that someone who loves adventure can also be a prolific reader: he himself is proof of this. He has also shown great maturity since his childhood, having been given more responsibility and freedom than most while growing up, and having to deal with his feuding parents. Witty and sometimes sarcastic, Sam inherited his father's way with words. But while he can theoretically be quick with comebacks and scathing insults, Sam chooses to stay out of even verbal conflicts whenever possible. The conflict between his parents (and the way they used him to get at each other) when he was very young deeply affected him; this is mostly evident in his unwillingness to openly disagree with people, and a desire to stay well out of any drama or arguments. Despite this, Sam is far too interested in everyone else's business for his own good. Whenever any excitement or drama went down at school, he wanted to know all about it, even while staying out of it. Though he would claim this was just part of his natural curiosity, the simple truth of the matter is that he is very, very nosy. Sam likes to think of himself as something of an underdog. With average grades and just a handful of friends, he faded into the background while at school and never stood out as particularly gifted or popular. People tend to underestimate him, as he's never really given them much reason to expect great things. Though Sam claims that this does not bother him, he does find himself daydreaming about surprising everyone who knew him with an unexpected rise to fame, perhaps from his writing or an incredible discovery. Sam is bisexual, but has never had a boyfriend or girlfriend, kissed anyone, or been on a date. Interests and Abilities Exploration and Discovery: Sam has travelled with his father on expeditions since he was nine years old, and actively taken part in investigating magical phenomena. He loves to explore and discover (or, more often, rediscover) interesting people, places, and events. Languages: Sam was raised bilingual, having a German mother and an English father. His primary language was initially German, as he lived in Germany until he was nine, but as he spent an increasing amount of time with his father he gradually shifted into speaking mostly English. He has also learned a number of languages thanks to all the travelling he has done. Sam's father has mastered numerous languages to fluency or near fluency, and taught Sam some of them in turn. As well as German and English, Sam is also competent in Spanish, and several dialects of Gobbledegook. He has a basic knowledge of Troll and Mermish, and knows scattered phrases in French and Swahili. Writing: While not intensely passionate about writing, Sam is planning on composing at least two books on his experiences and associated theories, and has already begun the writing process. He has never studied writing, but does have a knack for it, and though he has a habit of getting sidetracked for many pages at a time, he always returns to the point eventually. History and Early Life Pre-Life and Early Life Rowena Kaiser was the fourth daughter of pureblood parents who longed for a son. Though a boy, Viktor Kaiser III, was born four years after her, he was prone to sickness and died at the age of twelve from complications of a simple muggle flu. Rowena's parents naturally struggled to cope with losing a child, and her father's grief soon gave way to anger. As soon as she turned of age, Rowena moved out of the family home and didn't look back. Though she stayed in contact with her older sisters, she didn't speak to her parents again, and the next she heard of her younger sister, Aurora, the then-thirteen-year-old was missing, and being searched for by law enforcement officers. Rowena never found out what became of her sister, though she did know that Aurora was eventually presumed dead by authorities. In 2070, after graduating from Durmstrang, where she was a member of Soscrofa house, Rowena went on to Wizarding University to study Diplomacy and Wizarding Relations on the Stuttgart campus. It was here that she met Enoch Strider, an English half-blood wizard studying Behavioural Sciences. Enoch came from a much less intense family, and his past was very straightforward. The son of a muggleborn witch and a half-blood wizard, he was born and raised in England and attended Hogwarts, where he was a Ravenclaw. After graduating, he travelled for two years before applying to WU Stuttgart to study for his degree. Rowena and Enoch got closer, and started a relationship just before the end of their first year at university. By the time they graduated, they were engaged, though they spent a few more years saving before having a large wedding celebration in 2076. After the wedding, they both quit their jobs, and Rowena joined Enoch in travelling around the world, visiting little known wizarding communities and, later, investigating reports of strange magical phenomenon. In 2078, Rowena fell pregnant, and she and Enoch returned to Germany, settling down in Cologne, while they prepared for the baby to arrive. Samuel Oliver Strider was born on 10th January 2079. A short time later, Rowena started work at the German Ministry of Magic in the Minister's Office, and Enoch stayed home to look after Sam, writing academic papers in the meantime. He would soon get his work featured in academic journals. When Sam reached four years of age, his parents had to make a decision about his primary schooling. Rowena wanted to send him to Primary Wizarding School, especially as there was a campus in Cologne, but Enoch was more keen on the idea of homeschooling him. Discussions turned to arguments, and by the end of the summer the subject was still a source of contention in the house. Eventually, tired with the arguing, Rowena relented and Enoch took on the task of educating Sam. At the age of six, Same showed his first signs of magic. While playing in the garden, he happened upon a frog that had been living in their pond. After gleefully chasing the animal, Sam somehow managed to catch it, at which point the frog swelled up like a balloon and started to drift away into the sky. Alerted to the situation by Sam's distressed screams, Enoch summoned and deflated the frog, and released it safely back into the pond. This happened several more times with different animals over the next few years, but each time the creatures were retrieved and reverted back to their regular states, unharmed but very confused. Pre-Hogwarts As the years wore on, Sam's mother started to resent his father, mostly because he was at home all the time with Sam, which she constantly had to work long hours at the ministry. Rowena didn't consider Enoch's research and academic writing to be a real job, and considered herself to be the sole provider of the family. Her history with her own family also caused some lingering issues that had not been addressed, and she threw herself into her work as a distraction, which only made her feel burnt out, exhausted, and prone to losing her temper with her husband whenever she was at home. In response, Enoch grew tired of Rowena's irritability and her constantly snapping at him when she was home, and so started arranging expeditions again, leaving Sam with his parents while he was away and Rowena was working. This caused further rifts, as Rowena accused Enoch of shirking the responsibility of looking after and educating Sam. As time went on, Sam's parents' arguing increased in frequency and intensity. Sam had become aware of their fighting when he was around seven years old, and was often distressed by it. He tried to use books to escape the reality, but this didn't always work. Often he would hide in his room and under his bed until the arguing had stopped, but on two occasions - once when he was eight, and once when he was nine - he travelled using the family's emergency portkey to his grandparents' house in England. The second time this happened, Enoch's parents intervened, and gave Enoch and Rowena an ultimatum: attempt to resolve their differences or separate, or they would apply for custody of Sam. Though Sam's parents both knew it was unlikely his grandparents would be granted custody, this discussion prompted them to admit defeat and file for divorce. The divorce itself was straightforward enough, but during the separation Sam was frequently caught in the middle of his parents, each of whom would use him to get at the other. After an eighteen month long custody battle, it was decided that Sam's father would be his primary caregiver; Sam would stay with him for the majority of the time, and see his mother every other weekend. Though the conflict between his parents deeply affected him, and would continue to do so for some time, Sam was relieved when the divorce was finalised and the last of the court proceedings was over. He did harbour some resentment towards both of his parents for a while, but ultimately found he simply didn't have it in him to sustain those feelings. When Sam was nine, shortly after the divorce had been initiated, he started going along with his father on his expeditions. Once Enoch was officially granted primary custody, he and Sam moved from Germany to Blackpool, England, and set up their home base there. Sam continued to see his mother, staying with her every other weekend, eventually meeting her new Estonian boyfriend, Hugo Kruus, and his son, Arvo, who was five years younger than Sam. At the age of eleven, Sam received his Hogwarts letter while in Peru with his father on an expedition. The owl that had delivered the letter was exhausted and seemed to be on its last legs, and while Sam and Enoch nursed it back to help they discussed the matter of his education. Enoch had expected Sam to receive a Durmstrang letter, and had been ready to give his son a hard 'no' in regards to attending, but the Hogwarts acceptance made him hesitate. Sam, who had been anticipating a letter from one of the three big European schools (though he hadn't been sure of which one), had already made his decision. He told his father that he wanted to continue being homeschooled so that he could go on travelling and experiencing the world. Enoch agreed, and Sam turned down his place at Hogwarts via return owl (said owl having been given an Avian Girding Potion to get it through the journey). For several years, this arrangement continued, and Sam was very happy. His visits with his mother continued, though they became less frequent with all of the trips he went on. His mother, while at first hurt by this, soon came to accept it. In August 2092, when Sam was thirteen, Rowena married Hugo. Two years later, in April 2094, she gave birth to Karmen, Sam's half-sister. Once Sam had turned fifteen, his father was forced to admit that he didn't have all of the tools necessary to prepare his son for his OWLs. Though Enoch was an accomplished academic, he was hardly a master of every subject. Sam had gaps in his education that needed to be addressed, and hiring a private tutor was not a feasible solution. After a long discussion, Sam decided he would attend Hogwarts for his final three years of schooling. His father wholly encouraged this decision, as he believed that Sam needed not only a full education but also friends his own age, something he had so far been sorely lacking. Hogwarts Fifth Year= Fifth Year (2094 - 2095) In the summer before the start of term, Sam did his school shopping in Diagon Alley. He had frequented the wizarding street many times in the past, but this was the first time he had needed to by supplies for Hogwarts. While there, he met many other teenagers who would soon be his schoolmates, including a girl he witnessed falling over, who then introduced herself as Marisol Esmé. Sam kindly promised to forget that he had seen Marisol's clumsy misadventure. Heading off to Hogwarts was a bittersweet experience for Sam. His adventurer's heart was happy for the new experience, especially as for a long time he had been sure he would never get the Hogwarts experience (though he had made peace with that when he was eleven). But he would also miss the expeditions with his dad, and getting to witness all the weird and wonderful things that many kids his age - or even many adults - didn't even know about. He had, however, made his decision, and so Sam was sticking to it. When he arrived at Hogwarts, he attended the Sorting Ceremony with the first years and other transfers; he had been sure not to have his heart set on any house, but was nervous all the same. Sam's turn under the Hat lasted just over two minutes, during which it mentioned Gryffindor in passing, but mostly deliberated between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, before eventually deciding on the latter. During the feast, Sam attempted to while away the time before the food arrived by building a free-standing structure out of cutlery. He got a little carried away and accidentally stole his neighbour's fork in the process; this neighbour happened to be Tashina Youngbird, and though this initial meeting did not go particularly well, the stealing of forks became something of a running joke. Though Sam knew Tashina was also a transfer student, as they had been sorted in the same Ceremony, it wasn't until later that he found out she had moved there from the States. Once term got underway, Sam started attending his classes and was suddenly faced with the uncomfortable truth of just how many gaps he had in his education. Though he knew he would need to work hard to address these, he ended up captivated by the large Hogwarts library, and ended up taking more books out for fun and extra reading than for his actual homework. Sam also wasted little time in getting to know his fellow students, as that was part of the reason he had transferred to a proper school. Though he initially struggled in befriending others - as he was mostly used to interacting with family and other adults he was already familiar with - Sam soon found his stride. Some were less than receptive to his attempts at making friends, such as one Slytherin girl in his year, Mairwen Baines, who seemed to automatically dislike him for some reason that Sam could not work out. Others, however, seemed genuinely happy to talk to him, such as Abraham Botros Jr., a Gryffindor from the year below. Naturally, Sam greatly missed the expeditions he now couldn't go on, but he soon realised there were other curious things to be discovered right there at Hogwarts, some of which were right under his nose. After a few weeks of talking, Sam found out that his new Gryffindor friend Abra was a cis male tetrachromat, which was supposedly impossible. Suspecting some kind of magical phenomena at play, Sam wrote to his dad all about Abra, and in the meantime did as much research as he could, though resources on the subject were limited while at Hogwarts. Sam was at school for only a few months when he realised something about himself he had never even thought to consider before. He was interested in boys as well as girls, and was ultimately very open about being bisexual. One thing Sam somehow hadn't anticipated from life in a real school was the sheer amount of drama that surrounded the students. As a naturally nosy person, who had never been able to mind his own business for very long, Sam frequently tried to get the details on every situation he got the slightest whiff of, even when it didn't involve anyone he knew. Sam spent his sixteenth birthday at Hogwarts, the first he had ever spent away from both of his parents, though they each sent him gifts and care packages to make up for it. Two months later, he received the news that his mother had given birth to another daughter, Kaia, Sam's younger half-sister. At the end of the year came the exams that had prompted Sam to transfer to Hogwarts in the first place. He took his OWLs with the rest of the class, and ultimately felt that he had done rather well considering how behind he had been at the start of the year. He finished the term in high spirits, especially as he and his father had a summer-time expedition for the holidays. |-|Sixth Year= Sixth Year (2095 - 2096) Sam's OWL results turned up the day he and his father returned home from Tanzania. He was very pleased to discover he had achieved Exceeds Expectations in two subjects, and Acceptables in everything else; both of his parents were also proud of him. Sam also spent a little time in Estonia, visiting his mother, half-sisters, and step-family, but the rest of his summer was spent in England. While in Diagon Alley, waiting on his father to finish shopping for essentials, Sam met Ian Hoshino II, a boy in his house from the year below. They briefly discussed the Sorting Hat, and their own sortings. Soon enough, Sam was headed back to school. Even though Hogwarts continued to be a very intriguing place to live, the novelty and adventure of a new school had by now faded, and so this year was a lot less exciting. The workload was still intense, though nothing like his OWL coursework had been, given that Sam was now only taking five subjects. In January, Sam officially came of age. He received a surprise birthday howler at breakfast, resulting in his dad effectively telling the whole school that Sam was now seventeen. Things didn't get exciting until the very end of the term, though Sam had more tact than to openly describe the events as such. A hoard of inferi came up out of the lake and attacked students and staff who were out on the grounds, and attempted to gain entry to the castle. They were eventually appeased and backed off when treasure that had been recovered from the lake was returned to them, but some students and staff suffered serious injuries as a result of the attack. Sam had been in his dormitory when it all happened, and by the time news of the situation had filtered through to him, it was all over. Sam was severely put out; he had only ever seen inferi from afar, and was disappointed at having missed his chance to see them up close. He would later admit, upon seeing the general state of the other students that were caught up in the attack, that maybe it was more terrifying than he had been imagining, and it was for the best that he'd missed everything. Maybe. |-|Seventh Year= Seventh Year (2096 - 2097) When Sam returned to Hogwarts for his seventh and final school year, he was all set to knuckle down for his NEWT studies while enjoying his remaining time in the castle. However, any notions of enjoyment were quickly quelled when the Hogwarts Headmistress, Regina Hawthorne, was unceremoniously replaced by the austere Julian Scrimgeour, who quickly implemented a new regime at the school. Every morning students had to wake up at dawn and run around the Quidditch pitch in Special Obligatory Running Exercises, or risk detention and a face full of boils. Scrimgeour also introduced stricter rules and harsh punishments, as did the professor he brought with him to teach Divination. Sam, who was used to relative freedom and had only barely got used to the regular Hogwarts rules, was deeply unhappy and unsettled. He attempted to write home about what was going on, but didn't realise that the mail was being tampered with and censored. Believing that his parents were unconcerned and perhaps thought he was overreacting and so ignored his complaints, Sam didn't mention the situation again, even when he was home for the Christmas and Easter holidays. Sam resolved to keep his head down and just try to get through his final year of school. He studied hard for his NEWTs, though many lessons were disrupted when the professors kept getting fired and replaced. Sam also did some interviews with Abra, to learn more about his tetrachromacy and any other significant information. He collected notes for future book-writing endeavours, and Abra was happy to go along with this. It got even more difficult for Sam to grit his teeth and bear the Hogwarts situation when new rules were introduced banning most items that the students used in their free time. On the banned list was any reading material not relating to school. Sam could no longer get extra reading books out of the library, though he continued to read some of the non-academic books he had brought from home, just in secret. In the common room, Sam was very vocal about how much he disliked what Hogwarts had become, but outside of it he barely said anything; it was much easier to stay silent and not risk accidentally saying something that would anger one of the new professors. After what felt like forever, the last weeks of term arrived. Sam sat his NEWTs with the other seventh years, and then counted down the minutes until they could all go home. At the end of term feast, Hawthorne returned and Scrimgeour was deposed, but Sam's spirits were not lifted by this as he was leaving anyway, and his last year had already been ruined. He was pleased, at least, that it was all over, and he could finally go back to doing what he loved the most: exploring. Post-Hogwarts After graduating, Sam went home and immediately started planning his next expedition with his father. They decided not to leave until Sam's NEWT results had arrived, which seemed to him to take a painfully long time. When the results finally arrived, Sam learned he had achieved two Exceeds Expectations once again, and three Acceptables. Though this would have been enough to get him into a course in Wizarding University, he had already decided he preferred to travel and learn by seeing and doing things for himself. Just as they had before he went to Hogwarts, Sam and his father travelled around the world, seeking out and investigating mysterious and unexplained magical phenomena. Sam fell out of touch with most of his school friends during this time, but was perfectly happy going on his adventures. For a time, Sam didn't work, but in early 2099 the family's financial situation became complicated. In order to keep their house and make paying the rent worthwhile, Sam and his father returned to their Blackpool home to stay there on a more permanent basis, planning instead to start taking shorter, less frequent expeditions when they had saved up more money. Sam's father took to teaching seminars and writing more academic papers, while Sam got a job as a waiter in a local restaurant, The Cheese Cauldron. Sam also finally started to think seriously about writing. While travelling, there had been little time to really commit to the writing process, but now he was more or less stuck in one place, it seemed like the perfect time to get started. Writing about his experiences made him feel a little more like he was still living them, rather than being stuck in England working what he considered an uninspiring, though necessary, job. Sam is currently working on his first book, an as yet untitled account of his adventures and discoveries. He plans to start submitting manuscripts to publishers in 2100. The book covers the expeditions he joined his father on from the age of nine until he was twenty. Though he hasn't yet finished his first book, he is already planning his second: a collection of proposed theories (with evidence) regarding the magical phenomena he has investigated. Family * TBA * TBA * TBA Work History The Cheese Cauldron Waiter (March 2099 - present) Accolades, Achievements, and Qualifications OWLs= |-|NEWTs= Category:Characters Category:Class of 2097 Category:Hufflepuff Category:Alumni Category:Half-Blood Category:Homeschool Alumni